Believe it or not, there is more to know about these miraculous churches and places across the country

1. St. John the Baptist Parish Church | Quiapo, Manila

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Fondly called as Quiapo Church, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene is home of the famous miraculous dark image of the Jesus of Nazareth carrying the cross. Thousands of devotees who join its annual grand Traslacion as well as those who line up frequently to kiss its foot or wipe their handkerchiefs on it share stories of miraculous healings and providence. 

The original image was carved by an anonymous sculptor and arrived in Manila via galleon from Acapulco, Mexico on May 31, 1606. It is made of mesquite wood, hence its dark colour. It was first enshrined in the Church of San Juan Bautista of the Augustinian Recollects at Bagumbayan, Luneta until the area was destroyed during the Seven-Year-War with the British in 1644. The image was then transferred to the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino inside Intramuros. Unfortunately, the image and the church were destroyed during the Liberation of Manila in 1945. What we see today being processioned in Traslacion is the surviving copy donated by the Augustinian Recollects on January 9, 1787 and the replica sculpted by Gener Maglaqui, under the commission of the Archdiocese of Manila.

Religious veneration of the Black Nazarene is rooted among Filipinos who identify themselves and relate their poverty and daily struggles with the passion and suffering of Christ which the image depicts.

2. Simala Shrine | Sibonga, Cebu

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Sibonga is well known for its castle-like shrine for Virgin Mary. In 1998, several residents in the area had dengue and one of the Martin Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration asked the parish priest to lead a nine-day penitential rosary walk to plead for the intercession of the Our Lady. Eventually, residents started smelling flowers even though the area was barren and on September 8, the statue of the Our Lady shed tears. Those diagnosed with dengue were miraculously cured all of a sudden and since then, devotees flocked the image to pray. Since that year, the castle-like shrine was built and thousands of Marian devotees take on a pilgrimage to the shrine. An area in the church is used to exhibit the prayers and testimonials of devotees since 1998 as well as wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches of those who were able to walk again.

 

3. Minor Basilica of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary | Manaoag, Pangasinan

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Home of the priceless statue of the Our Lady of Manaog, carved in ivory and with clothes sewn with jewels, this minor basilica is administered by the Order of Preachers within the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. The statue of Our Lady of Manaoag is a 17th-century ivory image of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary enshrined at the high altar. It was brought to the Philippines from Spain via the Manila galleon from Acapulco, Mexico by the priest Juan de San Jacinto. Compared to the image's counterparts in other countries, the Our Lady of Manaoag is distinct in its regalia, particularly its crown.

Documents dating back to 1610 attest that a middle-aged farmer walking home heard a mysterious female voice. He looked around and saw on a cloud-veiled treetop an apparition of the Virgin Mary, holding a Rosary in her right hand and The Child Jesus in her left arm, all amidst a heavenly glow. Mary told the farmer where she wanted her church to be built, and a chapel was built on the hilltop site of the apparition, forming the nucleus of the present town. In the early days of the Spanish era, animist mountain tribes burnt down newly-Christianised villages. The town of Manaoag was among the settlements that were burnt by the raiders, sending the locals fleeing to the thatch-roofed church. The pillagers' leader climbed over the church compound's crude fence and shot flaming arrows at all parts of the church, but the building miraculously did not catch fire. During the Second World War, enemy Japanese forces dropped several bombs within the church's vicinity. The structure was only moderately damaged. Four bombs were released above the church, with three landing on the plaza and the facade, destroying both. The last bomb fell into the sanctuary, but miraculously did not explode. The supposed presence of chrysanthemum flowers in the church prevented the Japanese soldiers from doing acts of desecration, due to the flower being revered in their culture. Other miracles recounted and attributed to the Lady of Manaoag includes rainfalls during droughts, reviving an already-dead boy through holy intercession and holy water, stopping a fire that originated from the church, and resisting various attempts at relocating the shrine. Miracles attributed to the Lady of Manaoag in modern times is widespread, attested by believers and widely promoted by word of mouth, publications and legends. As such, pilgrims often invoke Her intercession in times of dire need, with some of the petitioners travelling all the way from far places to do so.

4. San Pascual de Baylon Parish Church | Obando, Bulacan

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Founded by Franciscan missionaries, it is the venue of the three-day Obando Fertility Rites held annually in honour of three patron saints, namely: St. Pascual Baylon, St. Clare of Assisi and Our Lady of Salambao. Couple devotees who join the street dancing are either those hoping to conceive a child or those giving thanks for their children believed to be born out of this devotion. The faithfuls ask St. Clare's intercession to prevent and cure infertility while on the other hand, dance to please St. Pascual Baylon who may have been chosen for his name that sounds like baile or "dance" in Spanish.

The Our Lady of Salambao is an image of the Virgin Mary discovered in 1763 in a nearby river according to a local legend. It is barely a foot high and was found by three fishermen in 1763 with a huge fish net, hence it was named as such. The original image was burned when the Japanese bombed the church in 1945.

The original Sayaw sa Obando was danced to the tune of "Santa Clarang Pinung-Pino" (St. Clare, Most Refined). As European and Filipino modes blended, parishioners danced dressed in baro't saya, an elaborate blouse and long skirt made of traditional native fibers. They borrowed the fandango, a waltz step, the Charleston, the foxtrot, the rhumba and the tango, and added a combination of hip, hands and feet movements to “make the Spirit of Life enter the womb." In 1993, the dance steps were formalised with the aid of a local choreographer and nationally known folk dancer, inspired by the dances that people did in her childhood.

5. National Shrine and Parish of St. Padre Pio | Sto. Tomas, Batangas

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Above Photo taken from the official website of Sto. Tomas, Batangas

The Parish of St. Padre Pio in San Pedro, Sto. Tomas, Batangas was initially established as the chapel of Barangay San Pedro on June 28, 2003. Eventually it became a parish, with its current 1.6-hectare land area donated by Ernesto and Adelaida Gonzaga, residents of the parish. In 2015, it was declared as a National Shrine, being the first to be declared as such in the Archdiocese of Lipa. The structure of the main church is made mostly of indigenous materials such as wood, stone, bamboo, sasa or nipa leaves and sawali or woven bamboo strips. The shape of its roof resembles a salakot, a traditional Filipino hat used by farmers and fishermen in their respective agricultural activities as their protection against heat and rains. At the top of the roof stands the image of the Our Lady of Mercy. The structure is open so that the pilgrims can enter and exit freely. Devotees of St. Padre Pio seek healing from their sicknesses and other prayer intentions.

6. National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Baclaran, Parañaque

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The church enshrines the icon of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and is one of the largest Marian churches in the Philippines. Devotion to her is popular amongst Filipino Catholics, and gave rise to the throngs of devotees who flood the church every Wednesday to attend Mass and pray the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The original icon enshrined above the main altar came from Germany, and passed through Ireland and Australia before priests of the Redemptorist Order brought it to what was then the United States territory of the Philippine Islands in 1906. 

Fondly called as "Shrine of Miracles", the first reported "miracle" here was mentioned by the Redemptorist community in their chronicles in June 20, 1949: "Many favors were granted to her devotees during the Novena. The most striking being, the sudden cure of a case of tetanus and the conversion of another to the true faith." Furthermore, there have been countless testimonials over the years of petitions granted from praying the Novena to the Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as well as controversial miracles debunked by experts. Nevertheless, it remains as Metro Manila's most visited Marian shrine.

7. National Shrine and Parish of St. Jude Thaddeus | San Miguel, Manila

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This parish was founded in 1954 initially as Espiritu Santo Chinese Parish with a hospital beside it. Now, it is St. Jude Catholic School and a parish dedicated to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless cases. The weekly novena to St. Jude started in June 1959 and has been held every Thursday since then. The devotion spread over the years and has become very popular in Metro Manila. Devotees come from far and wide including students, board examination reviewees, office workers, parish and others with all kinds of requests and seemingly hopeless problems. Thursday is always a busy day, with preaching, confessions, and counselling forming an important part of the work. Masses and novenas are scheduled hourly throughout the day from early morning until evening. Huge crowds overflow the church into the church grounds every Thursday. As a result of this, the church was conferred the title of Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Jude on June 21, 1994.

8. Monasterio de Sta. Clara | Katipunan, Quezon City

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In 1620, Mother Jeronima de la Asuncion of the Monastery of Poor Clares of Santa Isabel le Real in Toledo, Spain, together with seven other nuns, embarked on a journey from Spain to the Philippines to establish the first monastery for women in Asia. Monasterio de Santa Clara in Katipunan Ave. is known to be frequented by faithfuls offering prayer intentions and eggs. The egg symbolises purity and clarity, as St. Clare's name connotes. Oftentimes, prayers to St. Clare is about asking for clear skies, mind, or conscience. Moreover, in the medieval times, eggs is considered to have many uses: yolk for food and whites for construction.

 

9. Pink Sisters Convent | Tagaytay, Cavite

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Formally known as the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, the Pink Sisters are known for their silence and practice of perpetual adoration. Their rose-coloured habit signifies love and joy, a colour that represents the Holy Spirit. However instead of the blaring red, they chose pink to make it more refined and calm. The congregation established its convent in the Philippines in 1965 in New Manila, Quezon City and since then, established other convents in other parts of the country. Contrary to the perspective that being cloistered is an escape or refuge from the real world, the Pink Sisters are "missionary contemplatives" who are sent to other countries to do God's work.

10. National Shrine and Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage | Antipolo, Rizal

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Granting safe voyage for travellers, overseas workers, pilgrims, the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage is one of the most celebrated images of the Immaculate Conception in the Philippines. Similar to the Nazareno in Quiapo Church, the image in Antipolo Cathedral is made of mesquite wood and came from Mexico via galleon. It was first brought to San Ignacio Church in Intramuros, to be taken cared of by the Jesuits until its owner died. The Jesuits then decided to enshrine it in Antipolo.

During the construction of the Antipolo church, the image would mysteriously vanish several times and reappear atop a tipolo tree. Hence, the church was relocated to its present site where its pedestal was made of the same trunk of that particular tipolo tree. During the revolts in the Spanish regime, the image was transferred from time to time and crossed the Pacific six times. On October 1945, the statue returned in Antipolo, where it remains today.

11. Virgen Millagrosa de Pueblo de Orani | Balanga, Bataan

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The Spanish Dominican friars arrived in the province of Bataan (then known as the Partido de Bataan and considered part of Pampanga) in 1587 and founded the parish of Abucay on June 10, 1588, placing it under the patronage of Sto. Domingo de Guzman. As such, Abucay is considered to be the second oldest parish administered by the Dominicans in the Philippines, having been founded immediately after the establishment of the Dominican motherhouse of Sto. Domingo in Manila. The Dominican friars brought with them the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a custom followed by the Dominican Order in all of their new missions in keeping with their calling to promote the devotion to the Holy Rosary.

Due to the numerous miracles that happened right after, which drew thousands of pilgrims from other parts of Luzon, the image was eventually called Miraculous Virgin. One of its miracles was when the Dutch invaders plundered the coast of Bataan during the Battle of La Naval de Manila, the invaders were struck by plague and retreated. Another known miracle is when there came a locust plague in 1718, Bataan was the only province spared. Furthermore, there are countless miraculous healings of the sick and more that was credited to the Miraculous Virgin of Orani. Oftentimes when natural calamities strike the surrounding area, the saya or skirt of the image would be found soiled and wet or dirty as if she stepped out of the church and stopped whatever the calamity was.

12. Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia | Naga, Bicol

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This is one of the largest Marian pilgrimage sites in Asia. Constructed in 1980s, the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia houses the image of the Virgin Mary that was sculpted in 1710, under the commission of a Spanish colonial officer named Miguel de Cobarrubias. He was a son of an official and a seminarian studying then at the Universidad de Santo Tomas when one day he got seriously ill. He and his family prayed to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, whose picture he clutched to his breast as he hoped for recovery. Miguel vowed that if cured, he would—out of gratitude—construct a chapel on the banks of the Pasig River in Manila.

Miguel was miraculously cured, and ordained a priest not in Manila but in Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (now Naga City) by Bishop Andrés González. To fulfill his vow, Miguel (who was the first diocesan priest ordained in Naga), did two things. First, he mobilized natives along the slopes of Mount Isarog to build a chapel from the local nipa and bamboo, at a site by the banks of the Bicol River and not the Pasig as he earlier desired. Second, he ordered a local artisan to carve an image patterned after the picture of Our Lady of Peñafrancia that he always carried with him.

Stories of miracles surrounding the image began circulating immediately, as did public devotion to the image. One of its mysteries of recent history is its recovery after a year of being stolen in the 1980s.

13. National Shrine and Parish of the Divine Mercy | Marilao, Bulacan

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Built in 1991, the National Shrine and Parish of the Divine Mercy is a popular pilgrimage site because of its proximity in Metro Manila as well as vast land area composed of numerous picturesque prayer venues. Moreover, there have been numerous testimonies of miraculous healings from going to this church and devotion to the Divine Mercy.

14. Nuestra Señora de Guia Shrine and Parish | Ermita, Manila

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The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Guidance, also fondly called as Ermita Shrine, houses the oldest existing and possibly the first image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines. The shrine was founded in 1606, while the current church structure built in 1947 after World War II. It is frequently visited by seafarers, travellers, pilgrims, and overseas workers that seek guidance and safe voyage.

The famous image was found on the shores of Manila Bay on May 19, 1571 by a Spanish navy private, who was part of the Legaspi expedition. Its origin cannot be determined but it bears close resemblance to the Sto. Niño of Cebu. As tradition states, the image of Jesus Christ always journey together with an image of Virgin Mary and historians find it possible that this could be the Sto. Niño's companion. When it was found by the soldier on the beach, it was on top of a pandan bush and being adorned by natives in pagan fashion. From henceforth, it was named as Virgen de Guia, for her patronage of navigators and explorers.

15. Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace Shrine and Parish | Lipa, Batangas

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Although declared non-supernatural by the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 2015 and initially by Pope Pius XII in the 1960s, the alleged Marian apparition in Lipa, Batangas in 1948 still draws devotees and believers and continues to be debated up to this day. 

According to Teresita Castillo, then a postulant at the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa, she noticed a heavenly odour, and upon entering her room saw a beautiful Lady in white who spoke to her: "Do not fear my daughter, He who loves above all things has sent me. I come with a message…" The Lady asked Sister Teresita to wash and kiss the feet of her Prioress, and drink the used water afterwards. The Lady said that the washing was a "sign of humility and obedience".

According to the account, on September 12, 1948, Castillo was in the convent garden and noticed a vine shaking without any wind blowing. She then heard a woman's voice that instructed her to visit the garden for 15 consecutive days. The next day, September 13, Teresita came to the spot at 5:00 p.m., knelt down and intended to say the Hail Mary. In the middle of the prayer, wind came, the garden vine moved, and a beautiful Lady appeared. Castillo described the Lady as having her hands clasped in prayer and holding a golden Rosary in her right hand. The Lady asked her to pray for priests and nuns. On September 14, rose petals began to shower within the monastery, and some of the nuns noticed rose petals outside their hallways. Again at 5:00 p.m., the Lady appeared once more at the vine and said "I wish this place to be blessed tomorrow." "At what time, Mother," asked Teresita. "Anytime your Mother Prioress wants, my child. I forbid you to forget the incidents of these fifteen days." Then the Lady vanished.

The Prioress, Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, decided to consult with Servant of God Most Reverend Alfredo Obviar, Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa and spiritual director of the nuns. The bishop instructed the Prioress to demand proof from the Lady that she is from Heaven. Days after the first shower of rose petals, total blindness affected Castillo. Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus then heard a woman's voice telling her to kiss the postulant's eyes so that the latter will recover her sight. In the presence of Bishop Obviar, the Prioress lifted Castillo's veil and kissed the postulant's eyes. Immediately, the girl recovered her sight, and Bishop Obviar no longer doubted the apparitions.

The Carmelite Monastery is open to the public and people can visit the site of the alleged apparition.

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